02-25-2014, 06:07 AM
Get a balance bike to start. Then the kid can learn to ride much easier and have much more fun. I avoid the wood ones because they're heavy and after the polish gets scratched, they absorb water and swell/warp. My kid's first bike was a Giant Pre. There weren't a lot of options for solid balance bikes then, and they were rarely found used. But now they can be had pretty commonly on craiglist.
After that you can pickup a name brand pedal bike off craigslist, or other method of buying used (ie moms groups). I'm not really sure why people buy the cheap department store bikes. Quality name brand bikes can be found for around the same price, used, that are lighter weight, roll better, have better gearing, better geometry... that will last longer and resell for much more. You might laugh at the "geometry" aspect, but the wrong bottom bracket height + crank length + pedal width can spell disaster over and over again.
Buy a used Specialized for $75, ride it for two years, sell it for $65. If you drop $75 on a cheap bike, you're not going to be able to sell it for anywhere near that, plus the kid will have to ride a crappy bike.
After that you can pickup a name brand pedal bike off craigslist, or other method of buying used (ie moms groups). I'm not really sure why people buy the cheap department store bikes. Quality name brand bikes can be found for around the same price, used, that are lighter weight, roll better, have better gearing, better geometry... that will last longer and resell for much more. You might laugh at the "geometry" aspect, but the wrong bottom bracket height + crank length + pedal width can spell disaster over and over again.
Buy a used Specialized for $75, ride it for two years, sell it for $65. If you drop $75 on a cheap bike, you're not going to be able to sell it for anywhere near that, plus the kid will have to ride a crappy bike.